Christian father of 11 Paul Vaughn has reached a seven-figure settlement with the Trump Department of Justice (DOJ) after being targeted by the Biden DOJ for his pro-life beliefs, his attorneys announced.
Vaughn was one of nearly two dozen pro-life activists targeted by the pro-abortion Biden administration and its weaponization of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. The Biden DOJ brought charges against Vaughn and ten other activists for a peaceful sit-in at a Tennessee abortion clinic in 2021, and Vaughn was ultimately sentenced to three years of supervised release, avoiding prison time. Vaughn was one of more than 20 pro-life activists President Donald Trump pardoned when he began his second term.
In Vaughn’s case, the FBI conducted a predawn raid on his family’s home at gunpoint and arrested him in front of his wife and children, according to his attorneys.
“This family did nothing wrong. Paul prayed and sang. He bore witness to his faith and for that, the full weight of the federal government was brought crashing down on his front door before the sun rose,” said Steve Crampton, senior counsel at Thomas More Society.
“What was done to Paul and his family was a profound injustice, and we are grateful that this settlement acknowledges that. We also commend the Trump Department of Justice for having the courage to look at what its predecessor did, call it what it was—an abuse of power—and change course. No American should ever again have to fear an FBI raid for praying and offering hope to women in need,” Crampton continued.
According to an October 7, 2022, Townhall report, Vaughn was never arrested at the protest. Instead, he “worked to mediate” between the activists and police to “ensure everyone’s safety.” Even so, armed FBI agents arrested him at his home in front of his children early in the morning on October 5, 2022.
Vaughn alleged to the outlet at the time that his family did not receive word of his whereabouts until six hours after the arrest and that he was held in a federal holding facility, brought before a judge, charged, and then released without a wallet or a cell phone 60 miles from his Hickman County home, according to the report.
Vaughn said that while his family has “been through a traumatic ordeal that never should have happened,” the settlement “brings an end to this portion of the story.”
“I am grateful to the members of this Department of Justice who were willing to look honestly at what the prior administration did to our family and so many others and attempt to make it right. I am grateful to President Trump for the pardon that restored my good name, Thomas More Society for their tireless defense, and the countless people who stood with us in prayer,” Vaughn said in a statement.
“This chapter is finally closed, and our family looks forward with gratitude and hope, as we continue to serve God, advocating for the most vulnerable among us without fear,” he continued.
The FACE Act is a 1994 law that “prohibits the use or threat of force and physical obstruction that injures, intimidates, or interferes with a person seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services or to exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship.” The act was written to equally protect abortion clinics, pro-life pregnancy resource centers, and churches; however, data indicate that 97 percent of FACE Act cases since the law’s inception have been against pro-life advocates.
The Trump DOJ released a “Weaponization Working Group” report this year confirming that the Biden administration was laser-focused on jailing pro-life activists and “largely ignored attacks on pro-life pregnancy resource centers, only charging five people for vandalism and attacks…” despite the flood of violence against churches and pregnancy centers following the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision overruling Roe v. Wade.
“During the four years under President Biden, DOJ charged more than 45 pro-life defendants in over 20 cases with violating the FACE Act in connection with pro-life demonstrations. This was a significant increase in FACE Act prosecutions compared to prior administrations,” the report notes, adding that Biden’s DOJ targeted some Christian pro-life activists more than once.
Trump pardoned more than 20 pro-life activists prosecuted, and some imprisoned, by the Biden DOJ, and his DOJ settled civil cases and took “personnel action” against those responsible. The DOJ also said it dismissed three civil lawsuits against pro-life activists and issued a directive that prosecutors may only bring abortion-related FACE Act prosecutions under extraordinary circumstances.
READ MORE: DOJ Fires Prosecutors Who Weaponized FACE Act Against Pro-Life Activists Under Biden
Crampton noted that the settlement is “not just about one family,” but instead serves as “a warning and a precedent.”
“The weaponization of federal law enforcement against pro-lifers, against people of faith, against those who dare to stand for the unborn—that era is over. At Thomas More Society, we believe every life deserves a defense and we will fight with every legal avenue possible to continue that mission,” he said.
Vaughn’s case is similar to the arrest of pro-life activist and Catholic father of seven Mark Houck, whom the Biden DOJ also threatened with 11 years of prison time. The DOJ decided to press charges against Houck, who pushed a Planned Parenthood escort twice on October 13, 2021 — even though local authorities declined to press charges. Houck said he pushed the escort because he was verbally harassing his 12-year-old son as he was sidewalk counseling outside the abortion clinic.
Houck was also arrested by the FBI, allegedly at gunpoint, in front of his wife and children in the early hours of September 23, 2022. Houck was ultimately found not guilty in January 2023, with the judge raising the possibility that the case should never have been brought to trial.
The Trump DOJ and Houck reached a seven-figure settlement this year over the ordeal.
When reached for comment, the DOJ referred Breitbart News to a copy of the compromise settlement agreement. In the $1.2 million settlement agreement, the DOJ wrote that the document “is in no way intended to be, and should not be construed as, an admission of liability or fault on the part of the United States, its agents, servants, or employees, and it is specifically denied that they are liable to Claimants.”
“This settlement is entered into by all parties for the purpose of compromising disputed claims under the Federal Tort Claims Act and avoiding the expenses and risks of further litigation,” the document reads.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.
